Cultural Heritage Administration Begins Recovery of 'Hunminjeongeum Sangjubon'... First Search of Owner's Residence and More

Fact of forced execution in May revealed late
Searched for 5 hours but... ultimately not found

The 'Sangjubon Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon' (left), released in July 2008, and the 'Andongbon Hunminjeongeum Haeryebon' (right), National Treasure No. 70, owned by the Kansong Art Museum in Seoul.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] The Cultural Heritage Administration recently attempted forced execution to recover the 'Hunminjeongeum Haerye Manuscript Sangju Edition' but failed to locate it. Earlier, the Supreme Court had finalized the ownership of the Sangju Edition to the Cultural Heritage Administration, yet its recovery and whereabouts remain unclear.

According to the cultural sector on the 22nd, the Cultural Heritage Administration's Cultural Heritage Crime Control Team searched three locations, including the home and office of rare book collector and dealer Bae Ik-gi (59) in Sangju, Gyeongbuk, on May 13th to recover the Hunminjeongeum Sangju Edition.

The Cultural Heritage Administration obtained information regarding the whereabouts of the Hunminjeongeum Sangju Edition and conducted a search lasting about five hours but did not find it. The forced execution was carried out after receiving a successor execution document from the court.

Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that the ownership of the Hunminjeongeum Sangju Edition belongs to the state, the Cultural Heritage Administration has consistently expressed its intention to recover it. However, this is the first time it has proactively initiated forced execution.

The Hunminjeongeum Sangju Edition became known when Mr. Bae revealed part of it in 2008, claiming to have discovered a Hunminjeongeum Haerye Manuscript different from the 'Gansong Edition,' but its whereabouts have remained mysterious as Mr. Bae has not disclosed its storage location.

Mr. Bae has consistently demanded monetary compensation of about 100 billion won as a condition for returning the Sangju Edition but has remained silent regarding the storage condition of the manuscript.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.